Kathmandu: Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has said the government is planning to reduce the cost of house rent of Nepali missions abroad by constructing embassy and residential buildings on its own land. The minister said buildings of the foreign missions will be constructed on the land already owned by the state.
Minister Khanal shared this information on August 18 with the House of Representatives while responding to the questions raised by the parliamentarians about the land being purchased for the Nepali missions abroad but buildings not constructed yet. Minister Khanal also expressed the view that the Nepali Mission’s building abroad shall be built reflecting Nepal’s own identity.
According to Minister Khanal, over 1 billion 39 million rupees were spent on house rent for the Nepali missions abroad in the last fiscal year. This is about 17 percent of the total budget allocated for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the same fiscal year.
“The Ministry has planned to gradually build embassies and residential buildings for the missions that have their own land,” Minister Khanal said, “Our effort and commitment will be to bring frugality in the cost of making our own buildings for the Nepali missions by allocating sufficient budget.” Minister Khanal said that the main reason for the delay in building construction is the lack of clear legal provisions regarding the construction of public buildings abroad.
“There was a lack of provisions for construction of public buildings abroad in the Public Procurement Act and Regulations. When constructing a building abroad, the existing building code and standards of the respective country have to be followed, so procedural complications were seen in the absence of clear legal provisions,” Minister Khanal said.
Minister Khanal said that while constructing building abroad, local consultants must be appointed to work in accordance with the construction methods and standards of the respective country and the purchase documents required for the selection of builders must be prepared.
Minister Khanal informed that the latest amendment in the Public Procurement Act (2007) has created a clear legal basis for the construction of buildings of the Nepali missions abroad. According to the amendment, Nepali embassies abroad, delegations and other public bodies with offices abroad can make the necessary procedures and take the consent of the Public Procurement Monitoring Office to approve and implement them. “With the latest amendments to the Public Procurement Act, a clear legal basis has been obtained for the construction of buildings for Nepalese missions abroad. The ministry has already started the preliminary homework for the construction of the said procedure,” said Minister Khanal.
Minister Khanal informed that with the preparation of the legal basis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has started the process of constructing the building for the mission on its own land. In Australia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, the process for the construction of chancery and residential buildings has been advanced. A consultant has been appointed to prepare architectural and engineering works and cost estimates for the construction of the Nepali Embassy building in Canberra. Minister Khanal said that ‘work approval’ has been received from the National Capital Authority (NCA) there and the process of taking ‘building approval’ from the ACT certifier has started.
“After receiving the building approval, it will be easier to prepare bid documents for the selection of builders and prepare the construction procedures of foreign missions to select builders,” Minister Khanal said.
Minister Khanal said that work is underway to prepare the required terms of reference (TOR) for selecting a consultant to prepare cost estimates and works related to architecture, design and engineering for the construction of the Nepali Embassy and residential building in Bangkok.
This fiscal year, the government has allocated substantial budget for the construction of the embassy building in Canberra, Riyadh and Bangkok. Minister Khanal said that the government’s plan is to reduce the cost of house rent by gradually constructing the buildings of the Nepali missions abroad that have their own land.
